Black Sabbath (1963)

- I tre volti della paura
Another wonderful Bava film, 5 February 2005

Black Sabbath is an anthology from the Italian horror master, Mario Bava. Throughout the film, his trademark use of lighting and unique camera work are evident. Truly impressive.

The first story, "The Telephone", is a basic thriller and, IMO, the weakest of the three stories. Most everything that happens is fairly predictable. But, Bava's direction makes an ordinary story very entertaining. Also, Michèle Mercier is a knockout and makes this segment worth watching. I'll give the first segment an 8/10.

Most people seem to think that the second story, "The Wurdalak", is the best. I'm in agreement. This segment could have easily been fleshed-out into a feature length movie of its own. Boris Karloff, Mark Damon, Susy Andersen, and the rest of the cast do a wonderful job. Karloff is as creepy as ever in this tale. And Bava is at his best. Many of the scenes are bathed in a wonderful blue/green light that adds so much to the overall atmosphere. Wonderful set locations are also a highlight of this story. I'm also a sucker for the more Gothic settings in "The Wurdalak". I'll give the second segment a 9/10.

The third segment, "The Drop of Water", actually had more elements to freak me out than the other two. There is just something about this segment that creeps me out every time I see it. Again, Bava's fingerprints are on every detail of this story. The flashing blue/green light becomes more and more frightening as the movie progresses. I'll give the third segment a 9/10.

Bava really does a masterful job with all three segments of this anthology. For anyone not familiar with Bava, IMO, this would be a good place to start.

9/10